Down and Out?

Down and Out?

 Jonah 1-2

1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:

 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it,

because its wickedness has come up before me.”

But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish.

He went down to Joppa,

where he found a ship bound for that port.

After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish

to flee from the LORD.

Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea,

and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.

All the sailors were afraid

and each cried out to his own god.

And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.

But Jonah had gone below deck,

where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

The captain went to him and said,

“How can you sleep?

Get up and call on your god!

Maybe he will take notice of us,

and we will not perish.”

Then the sailors said to each other,

“Come, let us cast lots

to find out who is responsible for this calamity.”

They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

So they asked him,

“Tell us, who is responsible

for making all this trouble for us?

 What do you do?

Where do you come from?

What is your country?

From what people are you?”

He answered,

“I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD,

 the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

 This terrified them and they asked,

“What have you done?”

 (They knew he was running away from the LORD,

because he had already told them so.)

 The sea was getting rougher and rougher.

So they asked him,

“What should we do to you

to make the sea calm down for us?”

 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,”

he replied,

 “and it will become calm.

 I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

Instead, the men did their best to row back to land.

But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.

Then they cried to the LORD,

“O LORD, please do not let us die

for taking this man’s life.

Do not hold us accountable

for killing an innocent man,

for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased.”

Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard,

 and the raging sea grew calm.

At this the men greatly feared the LORD,

and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD

and made vows to him.

 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah,

and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.

He said:

   “In my distress I called to the LORD,

   and he answered me.

   From the depths of the grave I called for help,

   and you listened to my cry.

You hurled me into the deep,

   into the very heart of the seas,

   and the currents swirled about me;

   all your waves and breakers

   swept over me.

I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight;

   yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’

The engulfing waters threatened me,

   the deep surrounded me;

   seaweed was wrapped around my head.

To the roots of the mountains I sank down;

   the earth beneath barred me in forever.

   But you brought my life up from the pit,

   O LORD my God.

“When my life was ebbing away,

   I remembered you, LORD,

   and my prayer rose to you,

   to your holy temple.

“Those who cling to worthless idols

   forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

But I, with a song of thanksgiving,

   will sacrifice to you.

   What I have vowed I will make good.

   Salvation comes from the LORD.”

And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

The word of the Lord goes out, a man runs away. He can run but he can’t hide. The Lord catches up with him and there you have it. The most impressive catch and release fishing trip in history.

So what’s the point of the story so far?

Is it normal to run from God?

Does running make someone bad?

Can those who are called actually escape God?

Will God forget those he’s called?

What does God do to those who run?

Or is this all summed up in verse 8?

“Those who cling to worthless idols

   forfeit the grace that could be theirs.“

That’s the verse we’ll be focusing on.

Last fall when I was teaching religion to grade four students at Ponoka Elementary. We explored the story of Solomon. Wisest man to ever live; in his early years fully devoted to God; fully embracing grace that was his by promise. Only to later turn away, forfeit that grace because he chose to serve worthless idols.

I explained it this way.

I said imagine Solomon is having conversation with God all the time. And remember, God knows everything and everything God says to Solomon is always true and best for him and the people. So when Solomon decides to get advice from so called other gods, from statues mate of metal instead of God, it would be like getting advice from a water bottle instead of a best friend.

I finished with, does that make any sense?

Ten year olds are pretty smart.  They got the point, do we?

The word worthless is harsh; in the text it means of no value to do what is required. The thing we’re talking about may be very valuable in other ways but it’s the wrong tool or choice for whatever is going on right then. For instance say you have a solid gold hammer – an award for excellence in construction - and want to drive a nail into some hard wood. That hammer won’t get the job done. The metal is too soft; it would bend or the nail would end up sinking into it. For that job your golden hammer is worthless.

Verse 8 is asking us, is there anything in life that may otherwise have value that is getting in the way of receiving grace?

Family has value and family time; work has value and doing a job well does also. Can either of those become idols that get in the way of receiving grace?

Food, drink, sports, activities from card games to quadding have value – great value. Can either of those become idols that get in the way of receiving grace?

We could list more, but the point for those types of things is always the same: priorities, moderation, balance. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Whatever, fill in the blank, do it as a response to God’s call as his child. Keeping in mind that God’s gifts are wonderful; God comes first.

Could there be anything else that is getting in the way of receiving grace?

I often ask a simple question; I’ll ask it now. When were your sins forgiven? When? When a person asks, for forgiveness, when we see Jesus at the resurrection? When?

The Bible is pretty clear. All sin was forgiven before anyone here was born. Mine, yours, Jonah’s sins were all nailed to the cross. From God’s point of view – and this applies to everyone here plus many more – the price was paid; your sins are forgiven already, even the ones you haven’t committed yet.

But has it done the average person any good? Has being forgiven made any difference? Or is anyone here their own worst enemy when it comes to getting in the way of receiving the grace that can be theirs?

The Bible is clear those who may receive the grace of God without fear or doubt are those who admit to the sin in their lives; those who believe and accept that Jesus died to remove the penalty of their sin. Those who believe that Jesus rose from the grave proving that He is God and it is Finished!

Have you acknowledged the personal debt owed?

Did Jesus die for your sin?

Did Jesus rise to give you new life?

Yes, no?

That is the gospel after all. And the result is letting grace, forgiveness shape life. When believers get this the final idol dies. The final idol, the worst one: personal pride, thinking we know it better than God.

Ever had a thought like these?

                My sin wasn’t so bad, Jesus certainly didn’t need to bother with that one, even if it was a sin.

                Or the other extreme: my sin was unforgiveable.

                Or fear: my sin really wasn’t forgiven – is God really there?

                Or pride: I haven’t suffered enough or done enough to please God.

What stopped Jonah from receiving grace?

What causes believers today from receiving grace? Isn’t it often the idol of personal pride lying and deceiving working on the fear Jesus died to remove?

When the Son sets you free, you are free indeed! (John 8.36)

God’s children are forgiven, period. It’s Father’s Day isn’t that the cause of all celebration?

True, we confess ongoing sin, but only as a reminder to invite the Spirit’s power into our lives. Anything else is a misguided idea to have Jesus die all over again.

It’s wonderful when those who love Jesus take personal sin seriously; but more seriously than God? Dare we question Christ’s work on the cross? Dare we question grace? Of course no one deserves it. That’s good reason to dance and sing!

We live in the time of grace, confession, grace, celebration, grace! Remember this, because of when he lived Jonah changed because he got hammered. Swallowed and then barfed up on a beach. He lived always wondering who God is, wondering about God’s love and mercy. He lived without the cross.

We don’t live under the veil – in the time or conditions of the Old Testament. We have been born into the time of the Spirit, the Last Days when change comes by the Spirit to all who receive the grace that is theirs in Christ.

This is why the more often we eat and drink the more aware, the more grateful, the more willing to let the spirit change our hearts.

Has the idol died; is there a worthless idol stopping grace from being received?

Receive now and always the grace of your saviour.